Stylez starts to live up to name

Bucs beat

November 14, 2009|By Rick Stroud, St. Petersburg Times

TAMPA -- The trade of first-round flop Gaines Adams to the Bears officially was for a second-round pick in 2010. But for the Bucs, the exchange also allowed them to spotlight their player who was renamed later.

The former Greg White, who legally changed his name to Stylez midway through last season, took over for Adams at right defensive end. In three starts, he has three sacks and also leads the team with 18 quarterback pressures.

"He's been playing at a high level," coach Raheem Morris said. "His motor, his rush skills, playing the run. How he's been practicing, first of all, has been really impressive. I don't know if it's the trade of Gaines. Maybe it's having more opportunities. ... You never know when you'll have your time to shine, and he's having his time to shine now."

White, 30, took more than a few detours in his career before landing a starting job with the Bucs.

A seventh-round pick of the Texans in 2002, he had brief stops with five other NFL teams and the Orlando Predators of the defunct Arena Football League before coaxing a tryout with the Bucs during training camp in 2007. He was recommended by Predators coach Jay Gruden, the brother of then Bucs coach Jon Gruden.

But White's sack total went from eight in 2007 to five in 2008. The Adams trade has ignited him.

"For me, selfishly, I wanted to play as well as I can so you could all forget about that whole trade or whatever," White said. "It's just more opportunities. More opportunities to make plays, and I've tried to capitalize on them."

White led a charge of six sacks by the Bucs on Sunday against Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Even with that performance, the Bucs are tied for 19th overall in sacks this season, with 17.

While the six-sack performance against the Packers was encouraging, the Bucs still struggle against the run -- a major concern heading into Sunday's game at Miami. Tampa Bay is yielding 163.4 rushing yards per game, 30th in the league.

White's renewed commitment is a good start. Morris used to call him A.I. -- a nod to Allen Iverson because White did not like to practice. Now White is arguably the Bucs' most consistent defensive lineman. However, he is doubtful for Sunday with a shoulder injury.

"He was not particularly fond of practice," Morris said. "He didn't like to do it. And I don't know if he likes to do it now, but he's forcing himself to. Even last week, his coach got on him a little and said, 'Hey, you didn't practice as hard as you did the week before.' Which was to keep him motivated, to keep him going.

"The better he practices, the more production he gets. It's evident and it's clear, and it's right out there for you guys."